Donovan's highly successful Everton tenure ends on quiet note.

By Robert Wagman (in Washington, D.C.)SoccerTimes

(Monday, March 15, 2010) -- Obtaining Landon Donovan paid considerable dividends for Everton, but the United States attacker's 10-week loan ended on a quiet note Saturday with him coming off the bench in a 2-2 draw with host Birmingham City, which erased a two-goal deficit in an English Premier League match at St. Andrews Stadium.

Donovan's loan expired today and he will now return to Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy after signing a multi-year contract during the MLS offseason. Everton and Donovan tried in vain to extend the loan for a month, but the club could try to get Donovan again on loan or affect a full transfer when the transfer window opens again in January.

Everton was 6-3-3 in the Premier League with Donovan on the team.

After recording a goal and an assist as a reserve in his home finale a week earlier, Donovan entered Saturday in the 67th minute for right midfielder Ayegbeni Yakubu, but moved to center striker after less than 10 minutes.

Donovan was quite active in his short stint, but he was not able to generate any quality scoring chances.

For the second match in a row, Everton manager David Moyes started three strikers, including Victor Anichebe, returning from a year's absence with a knee injury. This left Donovan starting on the bench as he was in the March 7 home rout of Hull City.

Everton climbed ahead 2-0 on a laser by Anichebe in the 19th minute and a header from Yakubu three minutes later.

U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard did not have a particularly strong match in the Everton net. In the 26th minute, Birmingham forward Cameron Jerome redirected a short cross through the legs of a defender and past a surprised Howard to narrow the deficit to 2-1.

In the 51st minute, Birmingham right midfielder Craig Gardner used his first touch to drill a rocket past Howard, who was well off his goal-line for a 2-2 tie.

Birmingham has proven to be a thorn in Everton's side this season. It knocked Everton out of the FA Cup fourth round. Both teams have only the slightest chance at making the Europa Cup, Europe's second-tier tournament. With fifth and sixth place in the Premier League earning Europa berths, Birmingham (12-9-8, 44 points) is in eighth place, six points below sixth, and Everton is ninth at 11-9-9 with 42 points.

There is a chance the seventh team in the Premier League could later be added to the Europa Cup. Aston Villa, which employs goalkepers Brad Friedel and Brad Guzan, is seventh at 12-5-10 with 46 points and two games in hand on Everton and Birmingham.

Against Hull City, Donovan said farewell to the greatly supportive Everton home fans with a goal and an assist after replacing Anichebe on the right flank in the 70th minute.

Donovan, after entering to chants of, 'USA! USA!,' took a ball crossed to him and fired a laser into the far side of the net for his second Premier League goal to make it 4-1 in the 82nd minute.

Four minutes later, he took a pass on the wing and immediately registered his third assist by laying it into the path of Jack Redwell for a 5-1 advantage.

Howard conceded one goal when Hull midfielder Tom Cairney easily beat him to tie the score at 1-1 in the 32nd minute. Everton went ahead for good seven minutes later on midfuelder Mikel Areta's tally.

Howard made two saves as Everton held a 21-8 shots edge, 7-3 on frame.

On February 28, Donovan and several other regular starters found themselves on the bench with Moyes trying to find some fresh legs, but Ereton gell 2-1 to Tottenham Hotspur.

Donovan had a golden opportunity to draw Everton level in the 77th minute when he was alone at the far post and needed to only steer a low cross into an open net from point blank range. Instead, he shot inches wide.

On February 25, Donovan was never a factor when Everton crashed out of the Europa league's third round, giving up three second-half goals in a 3-0 loss to host Sporting Lisbon to lose the two-match series 4-2 on aggregate.

Everton never got going offensively and was back on its heels from the start. Only heroics by Howard kept Everton in the match as long as it was. In the fourth minute, Sporting's Marat Izmailov cut back just above the penalty area and drilled a shot that Howard parried away. He again stopped Izmailov in the 58th minute and, moments later, he denied a drive from Miguel Veloso.

Veloso finally put Sporting ahead 1-0 when he worked clear inside the six yard box and beat Howard from an acute angle. Sporting then went ahead 2-0 and 3-2 on aggregate in the 76th minute when Pedro Mendes hit a ball that took a deflection off substitute Jack Rodwell and left Howard flatfooted as it went into the net. Substitute Matias Fernandez. added another goal in stoppage time with a superb run and finish to complete Everton's downfall.